Canada's governor general, the representative of Queen Elizabeth II, signed
into law yesterday a controversial measure opposed by religious believers and
free-speech advocates who say it will criminalize public expression against
homosexual behavior.

The bill, passed 59-11 by the Senate on Wednesday, adds sexual orientation
as a protected category in Canada's
genocide and
hate-crimes legislation, which carries a penalty of up to five years in
prison.

The House of Commons passed the bill in September, 141-110.

As
WorldNetDaily reported, opponents have feared if it becomes law, the Bible
will be deemed "hate literature" under the criminal code in certain instances,
as evidenced by the
case
of a Saskatchewan man fined by a provincial human-rights tribunal for
taking out a newspaper ad with Scripture references to verses about
homosexuality.

The bill's sponsor, openly homosexual MP Svend Robinson, has insisted it
protects religious expression, but opponents, such as the
Canada Family Action Coalition,
note recent court cases in which judges have favored homosexual rights when
they clash with the rights of religious believers.

Some members of Parliament have called it a "dangerous" law that muzzles
free speech, including Liberal Party member John McKay, who dubbed it a "chill
bill."

"Anybody who has views on homosexuality that differ from Svend Robinson's
will be exposed rather dramatically to the joys of the Criminal Code," McKay
said last fall.

Robinson, who recently in a tearful apology to supporters
admitted stealing a $50,000 ring, has said fears that freedom of speech
and religion will suffer are "a mask for homophobia for people who don't want
to be honest about the real reason why they don't want to include sexual
orientation in the law."